


Start Again

by Phoebe_Snow



Series: Your Touch is Like Magic [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bucky Barnes Feels, Conversations, Drama, Epilogue, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Heart-to-Heart, Hurt/Comfort, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Love, Minor Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Romance, Supportive Wanda Maximoff, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-07 09:56:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19207033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoebe_Snow/pseuds/Phoebe_Snow
Summary: After Thanos' defeat, Bucky finds himself at a crossroads.





	Start Again

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired to write this after seeing them stand next to each other in Endgame. Even if we don't get a Winterwitch romance, we should get a friendship!

* * *

"You know, if you don't smile, you face may get stuck that way."

Wanda walked into Bucky's room with a little grin on her face. Even though they'd both been staying at the Rogers' home for the last four days and he'd seen her each one of those days, his heart still swelled with pleasure upon seeing her. It was strange, the idea that neither of them had existed for five years. There was a whole new world they'd have to get used to and there were so many questions to ask.

Would the accords still be in effect or would the government be lenient due to the consequences of the snap? Would there be a contingency plan for people with powers? Could he live in America again and what's more, would he even want to?

"Penny for your thoughts." Wanda slid her arms around his waist and pulled him close. Her proximity warmed his skin and he instinctively responded to her affection, touching her cheek with his mechanical hand.

"I just can't stop thinking about what this means for us. The world has changed a lot since the decimation and now that everyone who disappeared is back...I just wonder what my place is in the world."

"You're not going back to Wakanda?"

"I don't know, honestly. T'Challa made it clear that I would always be welcome and I have found peace there, but I think that was an old chapter of my life. The page has to turn now." He looked at her curiously. "What do you think? Should I should stay here in the states or go back to Wakanda?"

"You should stay put for the time being. This house is probably the best place for you to reside at the moment. Anyway, Steve would just talk you out of leaving."

"And if that didn't work, he could always get me in a headlock and have Natasha shock me with her widow bites."

"That's something I would pay money to see." Wanda waggled her eyebrows and he swatted her hip affectionately. She stayed in his arms momentarily, just enjoying the feel of his body warming hers, then she looked him in the eye. "T'Challa has sent a request to the government to grant you clemency for your past since you were brainwashed by Hydra."

Bucky made an exaggerated expression of shock. "I wonder who put him up to that."

Wanda poked him in the ribs. "Oh, be quiet. Steve was the most vocal in his support. Shuri is fond of you, so she spoke up for you too. I did, of course and even Natasha took your part."

He raised an eyebrow. "Natasha? I wasn't expecting that. She and I aren't close and after I shot her all those years ago..."

"James, _hush_." The brunette pressed her finger to his lips. "She doesn't blame you for what the Winter Soldier did. At least you were mind controlled. I volunteered to be a puppet for them."

"You didn't know that. They exploited your grief and anger from losing your parents and used it against you."

"Yes, but if I hadn't been so focused on revenge, I might have realised that they were too eager to accept me and my brother into their ranks. My point is, everyone has made mistakes or been forced to do things against their will. It's difficult to live with, but what's the point in wallowing in shame over something you can't change? You have to move forward and leave the past behind you." Wanda caressed his cheek and he leaned into her touch.

Bucky knew that Wanda was right, but he was still unsure of what to do now. Maybe even a little scared. He wasn't plagued by the Winter Soldier persona anymore, but he was feeling lost and vulnerable.

When T'Challa brought him a new vibranium arm, Bucky knew it was a silent way of asking him to help fight. He could have said no. Lord knows he was weary of fighting, but he had ulterior motives for agreeing. Having a new arm would be a plus, but he knew he'd see Wanda again.

After Steve broke everyone out of the government raft where Secretary Ross imprisoned them, the rogue Avengers travelled to Wakanda. During their stay, Wanda tentatively sought out Bucky's company. She was the only other person besides Steve and Shuri who spent time with him on a consistent basis. It took him a while to open up, but she was patient.

She hadn't expected to be very talkative after being collared and forced into a straitjacket like she was some kind of animal. If Bucky hadn't been in Wakanda, she would've taken a longer time to speak, but she was inexplicably drawn to him, sensing they were kindred spirits. Wanda also assisted Shuri with the erasure of the Winter Soldier programming imprinted on his mind and, in the process, she learned about his life before the war.  
  
He showed her how he would carry Steve on his back when his asthma got so bad he couldn't even walk home from school. They liked to build forts around the living room furniture and read their favorite comic books with flashlights. And in time, she allowed him to see her own memories. She showed him the tickle fights she and Pietro used to have when they were children. He saw her teach herself to do a cartwheel - she'd done it in the house and broken her mother's vase in the process, but it was still a good memory.

Wanda had never cared to learn so much about a person before, but Bucky was different. He was a man recovering from the damage that had been done to his soul and there'd always be scars inside that he couldn't entirely erase. They shared that in common and, as a result, it helped bring them together.

A month passed before Steve, Sam and Natasha agreed that they should go back to the states, keeping a low profile and continue avenging. Wanda was the only one who chose to stay behind. Steve was unhappy about that and tried to convince her to come with them, but she said Bucky needed someone to be there for him. Since she'd also been helping to remove the damage HYDRA had done to his mind. It would've been wrong of her to leave him.

So she stayed and in the next eight months, their relationship grew stronger. Wanda understood how it was for Steve and Natasha to be so intimate that they were like extensions of each other. Bucky made a place in her heart and they became so close that she could sometimes tell what he was thinking without using her abilities. Alas, all good things must come to an end.

As much as she loved being with him, Bucky felt Wanda's longing to be with Steve, Nat and Sam. They were her family just as he was and he knew that she needed to go to them. An entire year had passed and she asked him to come with her since he could trust his mind again, but he abstained.

"Don't get me wrong, doll. I want to, but I've fought for a long time in my life and I don't think I'm ready to do something like that again. At least, not yet."

He gave her a tender kiss goodbye and she promised to visit time to time and call as often as she could. Wanda had a picture of herself and Bucky that Shuri took the day his mind therapy had been completed and she kept it close to her heart. She was never alone.

Then Thanos had come along and dusted half the universe. For five years, Bucky and Wanda had been dead until the remaining Avengers stole - well, borrowed - the infinity stones and Professor Hulk snapped everyone back into existence.

Bucky hadn't known what to think when he reappeared in Wakanda. Hell, he didn't have time to think because a group of wizards showed up seconds later and told them there was one final battle to fight against Thanos. Then they opened a portal and went against his army.

It was a miracle that Steve hadn't gotten his ass killed trying to defeat Thanos, but it'd been Stark to make the sacrifice play in the end. The man managed to get to sneak away the infinity stones and snapped his fingers, wiping Thanos and his entire army into dust. It was a noble act, but sadly, it cost him his life. Bucky couldn't help feeling sorry about that. Stark had a wife and a little daughter who'd have to go on living without him. He couldn't imagine how difficult that would be for them.

He also felt a sense of guilt because for years, he wanted the chance to apologize for what happened to Stark's parents. Not that it would have brought comfort because no amount of apologies could make the dead come alive again. Steve and Wanda insisted that he not blame himself, but he still couldn't shake a sense of shame. Bucky had been in a dark mood and he was surprised that he'd actually been asked to be at Stark's funeral. After the memorial, the man's widow, Pepper had actually given him a hug and whispered "He forgave you" in his ear before pulling back.

Those three words were just what he needed to hear and a weight that had been on his shoulders for years finally fell off. He told Wanda this and she smiled brightly. It made her happy that he'd finally gotten closure.

"We've all been touched by sorrow, but that's not what defines us. It's how we choose to live in the aftermath of those horrors, how we move on, that is what makes us stronger...or weaker. You've always been the former. Please, don't give up."

"I don't intend to, but I'm not sure where to go from here."

"Have you thought about becoming an Avenger? You have special abilities and it'd be a shame not to use them."

"Become an Avenger? Me? I don't think so."

"And why not?"

They turned to see Steve and Natasha standing by the door. Steve was the one who'd spoken, his eyes serious and on the stern side. Bucky had a feeling that he was about to get a lecture.

"People wouldn't trust me after everything that I've done as the Winter Soldier. I'm not saying that as an excuse either. Regardless of a pardon, there's too much taint associated with me, with my name. I don't know if I'll ever be free of it."

Steve started to say something, but Natasha touched his arm. "Barnes," Natasha replied softly. "You've read my file. You're familiar with the Black Widow program. In the eyes of many in the world, I'm a monster, someone who should be executed or locked up in the biggest hole the government could find. But I'm here and do you know why? Because, despite my past, I'm one of the best people for this job. Sometimes the most damaged, broken people can be put back together to be better. And it also helps when you're surrounded by people who care about you."

At this, her eyes met Steve's and they smiled at each other. Bucky may not have been close to Natasha, but he knew for a fact that Steve being in her life had made a huge difference in how she began to change as a person. Anyone who spent time with Steve would be affected in the best of ways. The Avengers was more than enough proof of that. This was a man who inspired people to fight for what they loved and stand tall no matter the circumstances. He was a true leader in every sense of the word.

"I know you're right, but technically, I'm still a marked man."

"Yes, but the world is a different place now. We may be able to start avenging in an official capacity soon. T'Challa's been making a case for the Avengers and since his country has superior technology to the USA and has started a trade deal, the government is taking serious consideration to what he has to say."

Steve chimed in. "He's making an appeal for you to get clemency and a presidential pardon for the things you were forced to do as the Winter Soldier."

Bucky nodded slowly. "I know, but what about Wanda? She still doesn't have a green card and the government probably doesn't look too kindly on her being an American citizen after Sokovia. From what I remember, they gave you guys hell when you brought her here after the whole Ultron business and what happened in Lagos." He glanced at Wanda and she gave his hand a squeeze, sending him a tiny smile.

_Thank you. I appreciate that you're thinking of me._

_There's no one else I'd rather think about, doll._

"He's working on that too. We gave him several documents and testimonials proving that you've done a lot of good after Ultron and that you've genuinely turned over a new leaf. The last time I checked in with him, it sounded like things were going well. So keep your heads up."

"Well, I guess we do have something to look forward to." Wanda's eyes sparkled.

"Yep, but we didn't just come up here to tell you about that. Dinner's ready." Natasha motioned towards her husband. "Steve and I made beef stroganoff."

Wanda snorted and Bucky's lips spread into a grin. He opened his mouth, but Natasha beat him to the punch.

"Any wisecracks, Barnes, and you'll be eating tuna out of a can. Am I clear?" Her words were light and humorous, but they had a slight sharpness to them that he didn't miss.

He coughed. "Very."

"Good! Now let's go eat. I'm starving."

Steve took his wife's hand and they went back downstairs.

Before they went to join their friends, Wanda nudged Bucky. "See? I knew things were moving along! I'm glad they told us. Just think. We'll be able to finally live after such a long time being in the shadows. Good things come to those who wait."

"I believe that more than ever. After all, I have _you_."

Bucky leaned down, pressing his lips to Wanda's and she responded in equal fervor. Having their freedom would be wonderful, but nothing in this world was better than the two of them being together. That was the greatest gift of all.

 


End file.
